7 comments:

Who is gonna control the grid, the matrix, the computers, the power grid internet, the privacy, the freedom to not choose? I am standing by faithfully for my RFID chip to be implanted and monitored by homeland security to shut down my ability to interact with the world financially if I don't choose the correct provider of my freedom. The smart power meters installed in the Houston area are an example of this idea of centralizing all means of survival, the power company can shut me down without my prior approval and use the excuse of brown outs? How come someone gets the juice and I dont? Who decides, this is too centralizing of the power of everything to my liking, though I like the new ideas, they should be decentralize to prevent WAIT FOR IT, the continuation of the MONOPOLISTS and money trust system.

The problem with Mr. Rifkin's assessment is that it is based on the price of oil which is manipulated by speculators. Read Randell Wray's work and I believe you will learn that the $150 a barrel of oil was due to hedge funds and banks useing naked futures and options to steal money out of the system. There is more relation to speculation on prices than supply and demand in the oil field. Thank our election system for that.

"The smart power meters installed in the Houston area are an example of this idea of centralizing all means of survival, the power company can shut me down without my prior approval and use the excuse of brown outs?"

These smart meters are now being forced in California or they will increase the cost of my power by at least 10 dollars a month even if you are on welfare (20 per month if you aren't don't qualify for the cheaper rates). This is a poor tax and one needs to look no further than Germany where smart meters have doubled the cost the electricity.

So thank you green morons for the biggest tax increase of the my life. Go to the hell California Democrats.

All rationing policies increase costs because if the produce relies on selling x units power/bandwidth/commodity and then must reduce the x units of power buyers can consumer then the producers must constantly increase the price to maintain the same profit and growth margins. The more you cut consumption the more the price goes up just like cutting the deficits drives up deficit growth.

Austerity/Rationing never works because it devalues everything it touches.

Obama's healthcare plan will do the same because it was based on the stupidity that he had to fix medicare sending to support low income health insurance programs for younger workers. The problem is that there is no god damn medicare spending problem at all for a sovereign government so in the end Obamacare is just some icing to make the austerity cake seem more palatable.

The Telecoms are doing the same thing with bandwidth caps and it will destroy cheap access to internet. Limiting the bandwidth means that they won't have up grade to better fiber optics and thus limits amount the develop of high bandwidth applications like telepresence conferencing which are actually great for the environment and work efficiency.

There are also doing the same with education. Increasing cost and while cutting services.

How do they expect this to work? Everywhere you turn they are increasing your bills and then gutting your pay check or hours you work. They are killing their own golden goose.

All this austerity both real and fiscal is crushing the technology,industrial sectors along with the consumers. No wonder business folks are leaving for China. You can't do a god damned thing in this country without some extractor trying to bleed you dry with some BS service fee or tax.

I don't care if the Austerian calls himself leftwing, rightwing, green, purple, yellow, or red. Austerity in either will fiscal ( the monetary economy) or energy policy (the real economy) will not work.

GLH: "The problem with Mr. Rifkin's assessment is that it is based on the price of oil which is manipulated by speculators. Read Randell Wray's work and I believe you will learn that the $150 a barrel of oil was due to hedge funds and banks useing naked futures and options to steal money out of the system. There is more relation to speculation on prices than supply and demand in the oil field. Thank our election system for that."

Of course, speculation plays a role in demand, especially since commodities have become an asset class. But, Warren Mosler holds that the Saudis are monopoly price setters as the swing producers. As long as the global economy is expanding, energy demand will increase, and unless the Saudis lose their monopoly power, they can set the price. They have recently said that $100 is about right.